War's Ending

by A J Park

  Kalleck held the door open and invited the king inside. The room wasn’t big, but there were several comfortable chairs. It had a large fireplace and was decorated with tapestries. “Please sit,” Kalleck offered the king a chair and then sat down opposite him.

  “I’ve asked the guards to summon Gareth. He is one of your soldiers, but he is also the last person who saw Olthorin.”

  “I’ll be grateful to speak to him. Thank you.”

  For a long moment, they looked at each other as if trying to decide where to begin.

  King Telthan said, “Thank you for what you’ve done for Shalyrie. For a while, I was afraid there was nothing we could do. I am very grateful to you.” He looked around the room. “This place is nothing like what I expected after what Galenor told me.”

  Kalleck felt a rush of anger, but he concentrated on letting it ease. Galenor was dead. “He would not have said anything complimentary about us.”

  The king smiled slightly. “No. He told me that your people were violent and refused to negotiate. He said that Shalyrie had been shot with an arrow when you attacked a bridge, and that you had taken her and Olthorin hostage. You’d threatened to kill Shalyrie on more than one occasion, even holding a sword to her throat at one point. And then when you’d brought them back, you’d tried to assassinate her in front of his entire army to demoralize them. Galenor bravely saved her, brought her back to Newport, and tended her wounds. But you attacked again and kidnapped her right before I arrived. He said there was no way to communicate with you, and that he had no idea why you had been so cruel to her. And yet in the time I’ve spent with you and the conversations I’ve had with Shalyrie, I find it hard to believe you would do any of those things. Is any of it true?”

  “Any great liar knows that it’s best to start with some semblance of the truth,” Kalleck said. “But everything he told you is slanted in his favor.

  “Galenor has mistreated my people from the beginning. He never made any effort to negotiate, so I had no reason to try to communicate with him. In spite of this, I studied for years, learning your language, waiting for the opportunity to speak to someone who would listen.

  “We did attack the bridge and unfortunately Shalyrie was injured. That was never our intent. Galenor had been building the bridge for years and we knew as soon as it was done, he would invade our lands and take even more. I have done everything I could to stop him from finishing it. We have attacked it many times. He knew the bridge wasn’t safe. We have no idea why he even thought to bring a woman there. He’d never done it before. We didn’t realize she was there until it was too late.

  “When we took Shalyrie, Olthorin and their companion from the bridge, the rest of the sea-folk had already fled. We couldn’t leave her there to die. So, yes, we brought her with us to tend to her wounds.

  “Galenor pursued us quickly and attacked one of our farming villages, killing many innocent, peaceful families. He and his soldiers did not discriminate between women, children or grown men. We were outnumbered, and I had to stop him somehow to allow the remaining villagers time to escape. I was desperate. I’m not proud of it, but the only solution I could find was to threaten her life. If I had had any other choice, believe me, I would have taken it. But my people were being slaughtered.

  “Galenor did retreat because of it. When we got back to the city, we sent the remaining solider as a messenger to Galenor to let him know we would return Shalyrie and Olthorin safely in thirty days. He insisted on a week instead.

  “When we got there, they had an ambush arranged. Olthorin crossed the field safely. When Shalyrie followed, a man dressed as a horseman attacked her with a knife, intent on killing her. But this man was not one of us. I went to her aid and killed him, but in the battle that followed, she fled, not knowing who to trust.

  “As for Galenor bravely saving her, no such thing ever happened. You saw the wounds he inflicted on her with the sea-star—on all of us. He had no mercy or concern for her. His sole focus was on the wealth he imagined being able to find in our valley.

  “We found her almost frozen to death after the battle and brought her safely back. Olthorin was angry with us at first, thinking we had tried to kill Shalyrie, but he soon realized he was wrong. That’s when he and Gareth committed to leaving her in our care while they went out to search for you. We had no idea whether they’d found you or not until you arrived in Newport. We only knew that Gareth and Olthorin had been attacked, and Gareth was left for dead. He had no idea what happened to Olthorin or if he’d made it through to you. But we will let Gareth speak of that when he arrives.

  “So Olthorin must have made it to you after all. You made it back to Newport just in time. Why didn’t he come with you?”

  “No,” the king said grimly. “I haven’t seen him.”

  “Then how did you know to return to Newport?” Kalleck asked. “We were desperately trying to reach you. How did you happen to get there just then?”

  “It was Galenor himself who sent the message. He told me that Shalyrie had been injured in an unexpected attack. He asked me to return, and I began the journey at once. When we docked at Newport, he told me that two horsemen had slipped past their defenses and taken her from the fortress. He urged me to join the search, and we left immediately, following them. That was all the information I had until you spoke with me. I should never have allowed a man like Galenor to get into a position of authority. His father was one of my oldest friends. I didn’t know what kind of man Galenor had become. Rothar would be so disappointed…”

  “You have our sincerest gratitude for stopping Galenor,” Kalleck said.

  “Of course,” the king said. “I only wish I could have done so sooner.”

  “When we had no word of Olthorin or Gareth, we grew desperate. We knew we needed to find you, but that it would be dangerous to try to reach you. I didn’t want Shalyrie to come. I begged her to stay behind, but she refused.” Kalleck shook his head sadly. “I should have forced her. She would have been furious, but at least she would have been safe.”

  King Telthan cleared his throat. “Don’t blame yourself. Shalyrie is very determined. I know what she is like when she makes up her mind about something. You can’t really stop her.”

  For a moment, Kalleck was lost in the memory of all that had happened. He blinked hard and looked back at the king. “Watching her suffer was unbearable. You understand how that must have felt. I could see how angry you were when you saw what they had done.”

  Telthan nodded. “I was. I hope I’m never that angry again. I can only imagine what that must have been like for you, and how painful this has been for your people. I want to make things right. What would you have my people do?” the king asked. “I could have all my people leave Newport, if you choose. It won’t bring back the lives lost, but it will return the land to you. I will take down the whole city, stone by stone, if you ask it.”

  “You would do that?” Kalleck asked, astounded.

  “Yes,” King Telthan said firmly.

  “Will you remove Galenor’s bridge?”

  “Yes,” the king said.

  Kalleck nodded. “Then we have everything we need to make an agreement. Our people do not want any further violence.”

  “Agreed,” King Telthan said, offering his hand. Kalleck shook it.

  There was a knock at the door, and one of Kalleck’s guards opened it and said, “Gareth is here, First Guardian.”

  “Thank you. Please send him in.”

  Gareth looked tired and dirty, but he was on his feet. He hobbled into the room leaning heavily on a crutch. Kalleck got up and drew another chair near for Gareth.

  “Thank you, First Guardian.” Gareth sat down with a grateful sigh. He suddenly noticed King Telthan and began to get back up.

  “No, sit!” King Telthan ordered.

  “Thank you, Your Majesty.”

  “Of cour
se,” the king said. “You have already done much to help Almoria. But I need to know where my nephew is. I understand that you were the last person to see him.”

  Gareth nodded slowly. “It was the day when Shalyrie was attacked at the Yalkur village. We had gone to meet the horsemen so they could return her to us. I saw the man who assaulted her. I have learned enough about the horsemen from my wife to know that he wasn’t one of them.”

  “You could tell?” the king asked.

  “Yes. I think that’s why the governor decided to get rid of me. He was afraid I would tell others what I knew. He sent me out alone with no protection when he knew the horsemen were out there. He thought they would kill me. Instead, I asked them to take me to First Guardian Kalleck. Lord Olthorin and Lady Shalyrie were with him. I said I would help Lord Olthorin find you and ask for your help.

  “We left that night, intending to bypass Newport and reach another port to the east, where we could find a ship,” Gareth shook his head. “I don’t know how they found us. All at once, we were surrounded by a dozen of Galenor’s men. We tried to fight. My leg was broken and something hit my head. I didn’t see them hurt him. But then again I didn’t see anything after that…”

  “Did you recognize any of them?”

  “Captain Calreth was with them,” Gareth said. “He’s the only one I knew well.”

  “Calreth… Calreth… Shalyrie just said that Calreth was about to kill her. She knows who he is.”

  “He was Galenor’s second-in-command,” Gareth said.

  “And he was with the group who took Olthorin?”

  “Yes, Your Majesty.”

  “I want to speak to this man,” King Telthan said.

  “If you would like to prepare a message, I can send a rider to the rim to deliver it to your men,” Kalleck suggested.

  “Yes,” Telthan agreed. “And when that is finished, I will see how Shalyrie is.”

  Kalleck and Gareth left the king to his work. When they parted company, Kalleck went to check on his people and Gareth went to look for his family.

  The Yalkur were gradually returning. Three of the clan chiefs had already come to Kalleck. He put them to work caring for their own clans and locating the remaining leaders of the other clans.

  They made sure all those who were hurt had been tended to and that everyone had food and shelter. Clan by clan, they began to tend to those who had fallen in battle.

  Ammur was limping, but he took his mask off and grinned at Kalleck. “Well done, First Guardian,” he said, clapping Kalleck on the shoulder with a big hand.

  Kalleck met his mother in the Hall of Guardians, caring for the wounded. Before he could stop her, she hugged him. He tensed and grunted in pain, and she stopped. “I’m sorry!” she exclaimed. “You’re hurt.”

  “I’m all right,” he assured her. “Are you unharmed?”

  “Yes,” she said.

  He took his mask off and looked down at her.

  “You’re safe,” she whispered, tears filling her eyes. “You did it. You saved all of us and I’m so proud of you. Your father would be too. Is Shalyrie safe?”

  “It will take some time for her to recover, but she is alive.”

  “Kalleck,” she put her hands on his shoulders and looked into his eyes. “Do you realize what she did? How much she gave for us?”

  He nodded and lowered his eyes. “Mother, you don’t know… You don’t know how much she suffered, and what they did to her. I saw it. I know what she gave. Before we left, I tried to stop her. I begged her to stay here. I knew she would be in danger, and I knew they might find us, and if they did…” He paused and drew in a long breath. “But she wouldn’t stay, and once we had gone, there was no way to change our minds. They caught us.” He took in another breath. “They were hurting her—they were going to kill her. They told her if she betrayed us, they would stop. They didn’t know it, but I understood everything they were saying. I heard what they offered her. She knew they were going to kill her if she didn’t submit, but she never did. She didn’t tell them anything. I couldn’t stop them from hurting her. If the king hadn’t come…”

  There were tears on Allemi’s face. “You did the best you could,” she said. “And she will be all right now. She has been so faithful to our people, and to you. She loves you, Kalleck.”

  “And I love her. I should have forced her to stay here, even if she hated me for it. How can she still love me after what she went through? If she hadn’t come with me, none of it would have happened.”

  “There’s no way to know,” Allemi said. “But it’s all over now. You’re both safe.”

  Kalleck looked at the wounded and elderly people Allemi had brought back with her. “All of you were out there with no one to protect you? How did you escape the soldiers?”

  The expression on her face darkened. “I can still fight, if I must. I didn’t want to do it, but when they came, I had to. We stopped in a place we could defend. Still, one person alone wouldn’t have been enough. Gareth helped me hold them off until Tarkan and the others got to us.”

  Kalleck shook his head and let out a breath in relief. That could have been so much worse. “I’m sorry we didn’t defend you better,” he said.

  “You did everything you could. And we’re all right.”

  Kalleck saw Gareth entering the Hall. His arm was over the shoulder of a Yalkur girl, and a young boy was beside them. He was favoring his injured leg.

  “Are you all right, Gareth?” Kalleck asked.

  “I couldn’t be better!” Gareth responded with a grin.

  “I thank you for defending them,” Kalleck said, looking around at the others in the group. None of them were able to fight.

  “I could have done better if not for this,” Gareth said, gesturing to his leg.

  “Well, you won’t have to fight anymore. The war is over now, and you can rest that leg,” Kalleck said. “You and Karrah are free to be together. If you wish it, you may learn of our ways and take the oaths to become one of us. You have already proven your loyalty.”

  “You would allow me to join you?” Gareth seemed incredulous.

  “I would,” Kalleck said. “You are welcome here.”

  “Thank you, First Guardian,” Karrah exclaimed joyfully. “I was afraid that neither of our peoples would accept us.”

  “Friends of the Yalkur will always find acceptance here,” Kalleck assured her. “And I will never forget what you did for Shalyrie and the help you gave to Tarkan.”

  Karrah smiled. “I would do anything for her. Many of the Almorians in Newport did not treat us well. She was different from the very first moment. She was so kind. And Galenor and Calreth would have killed Tarkan that day if not for Shalyrie. She deserves all the help we can give her.”

  “She does,” Kalleck agreed. “She’s saved so many lives.”

  “How is she?”

  “She is recovering,” Kalleck said. “It will take time, but she will heal.”

  “We wish her the best,” Karrah said.

  Kalleck thanked her and turned back to Allemi. She put her hand on his shoulder. “Shalyrie couldn’t have done it without you, my son. All of us have seen enough sorrow. Now we see the joy.” She looked back at Karrah and Gareth together.

  Kalleck nodded. “They have been a great help to us. They deserve to be happy together.”

  “You deserve to be happy too,” Allemi said.

  “There is still work to be done,” Kalleck said. “The sea-king is here. He is prepared to address the Council as soon as we are ready. I know it isn’t our custom to have outsiders here, but I had to.”

  “I know you did,” she replied, “I understand, of course. You did the right thing. I’m sure the rest of the council members will agree to meet with him. It’s the only decision we can make now. We all understand where we would be without his help.” />
  CHAPTER 39

  Lady Shalyrie Almorin

  Shalyrie woke to see Uncle Telthan sitting beside the bed. She smiled slightly. “You’re still here.”

  He took her hand. “Where else would I be? I can’t believe I let all of this happen to you. I almost lost you.”

  She nodded slowly. There was no denying it. Calreth had been right there, with his knife raised… “I knew I was going to die,” she said. “I had no hope left. And the pain was so bad… I wanted it to be over.”

  He squeezed her hand in sympathy. “It’s over now. You’re safe. And as soon as you are ready, we can go home. You don’t ever have to leave the island again.”

  “Go home? Uncle Telthan, so much has changed since you left. I want to stay.”

  “You… what?” Shock was plain on his face. “I thought that after all you’d been through, you’d come back with me, where you would be safe. All those years ago, I promised your father I would take care of you. I should never have let you stay behind in Newport!”

  Into her mind flashed all the things that had happened since she asked him for more time. She saw the bridge, the arrow lodged in her flesh, Sea Mist running over the grass, Farak’s hate-filled eyes, sun on the mountain peaks, and Kalleck.

  If she could return to the moment when she had decided to remain in Newport while Uncle Telthan went on, would she make the same decision again? If she had simply stayed with the king, she would have escaped all this pain and hardship. But if she had, she would never have known Kalleck, and the war would still be going on. How many people would be dead right now if she and Kalleck hadn’t stopped it?